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Getting Started
Overview Earth 2308 is a game focused on player freedom and interaction with the greater setting and metaplot. Players can choose to create a character from any corner of Sol, with any personal goal. Although I designed this game to be run by myself for small groups, feel free to give it a try running it yourself. Generally, Earth 2308 is aimed at an audience of veteran RPG players, but it is mathematically simpler than many other tabletop games (Shadowrun, D&D, World of Darkness, etc.) and should be relatively easy to learn for newbies. In order to run the game, one person must take on the role of Game Master (GM) and arbitrate the actions of Non-Player Characters (NPCs), referee the results of other players' actions, and generally control the world that the players interact with. It is highly recommended that anyone who wants to play to discuss plot ideas with their GM beforehand so that they do not end up feeling like they are being forced to continue playing a character or story that they have lost interest in. The GM is responsible for creating places, people and things for the players to interact with, as well as for dropping story hooks for the players to follow if they wish, but ultimately it should be up to the players to drive and guide the story in order to maintain a sense of exploration and discovery. The objective of this roleplaying system is threefold. First and foremost: to give players and GMs a mechanical and narrative framework to create unique and interesting pulp science fiction stories. Second: to provide players with a sandbox world within which they can pursue any plot line that appeals to them and which they can influence through their in-game actions. And finally, third: to make the consequences of that player agency feel as impactful as they would in real life. Core Mechanics Earth 2308 uses multiple six-sided dice to determine the results of actions. A six-sided die is called a "d6," and the number of dice is written before the "d." For example, "3d6" means 3 six-sided dice. The outcome of most situations is decided by an attribute roll. You roll as many six-sided dice as your attribute and add up the total, often with flat bonuses or penalties involved. In many situations, you will also add a number of dice equal to your listed skill level. For example, if a character has 3 Agility and Handguns 2, they will roll 5d6 to hit when attacking with a handgun. Any time two opposing rolls are made that land on the same sum, the roll with the greater number of dice wins automatically. If the number of dice is also equal, the roll with the greater flat bonus wins. Otherwise, both dice pools must be rerolled. All characters in the game world are created the same way, using a combination of Attributes, Secondary Statistics, Skills, Advantages, Disadvantages and a Race and Build. A character can also choose a single Gift '''if they have the points. Races, Gifts and Advantages may also confer special '''Abilities upon a character that can be performed by spending stamina or willpower. Attributes A representation of a characters' inherent physical and mental capabilities. Each character begins with a 0 in all attributes and 10 points to distribute among them, with each attribute having a starting maximum of 4. Attributes are as follows: Vigor (VIG) - A measure of a character's hardiness. Determines maximum stamina as well as resistance to fatigue, poisons, disease and pain. Physique (PHY) - A measure of a character's physical might. Determines attacks with fists, most melee weapons and grappling as well as resistance to knockdowns, knockbacks, or other effects that force the character to change position. Agility (AGI) - A measure of a character's precision and quickness. Used to dodge attacks, sneak, perform ranged attacks (and some melee attacks), and resist against area-of-effect attacks and hazards. Cunning (CUN) - A measure of a character's reflexes and wits. Used to determine initiative, number of Opportunity Actions, and the outcomes of certain social situations (bluff, persuade). Intellect (INT) - A measure of a characters' degree of knowledge and skill. Used for most trivia and skill rolls. A character with 0 intellect is illiterate. Sense (SEN) - A measure of a character's perception and judgement. Used for making deductions, detecting hidden objects, sensing sounds or and other perceptual rolls. Aura (AUR) - A measure of a character's mental force of will and their connection and sensitivity to emotions and psychic phenomena. Increases maximum Willpower and determines a character's ability to wield psychic powers. Secondary Statistics Expressions of a character's attributes which are decided by them. They are as follows: Stamina - A measure of physical endurance. When stamina reaches 0, a character falls unconscious. Used to fuel physical abilities. Maximum stamina starts at 4, and is increased by another 4 for each point of Vigor. Characters can also choose to spend stamina to recover from certain conditions, such as fatigue or dizziness. Willpower - A measure of emotional or psychological endurance. When willpower reaches 0, a character panics. Used to fuel psychic abilities. Increased by 2 for each point of Aura. Characters can also choose to spend willpower to recover from certain conditions, such as terror or crippling pain. Speed - A measure of how far a character can move for each Action Point they spend. All characters have a speed of 30 unless modified by an advantage, item or ability. Perception - A measure of a character's general awareness of their surroundings. Perception is a static value equal to a character's SEN multiplied by 4. Perception is used to locate hidden things and to notice details. Size - A measure of a character's physical bulk. Light characters have a size of 4, medium characters have a size of 5, and heavy characters have a size of 6. Size is used to determine how small a space a character can fit into and modifies certain other rolls. Languages - Every character knows Sol's Lingua Franca, English, as well as an additional language for each point of intellect over 1. Characters may know any real human language, which can open up certain opportunities in game (such as if one wishes to join a culturally exclusive organization). Skills A representation of a character's degree of training or talent in a given area. There are five types of skills: Combat, General, Athletic, Social and Knowledge. Combat Skills reflect a character's ability to fight with various weapons as well as their ability to evade enemy attacks. General Skills '''are practical skills that can be applied to produce various effects, such as picking a locked door or treating a critical wound, as well as professional skills. '''Athletic Skills are those which are used to accomplish physical feats, such as climbing, jumping or swimming. Social Skills are used to influence how other characters view you or to make deductions about other characters in social situations. Knowledge Skills are either skills which are used solely for crafting or modifying items and structures or skills that do not normally have a practical use, but which players can use to obtain information from the GM. Most skills add a number of dice to the relevant rolls equal to the value of the skill. Professions and Weapon Specialties add a flat bonus instead, but have a higher maximum value. All skills start at 0, normal skills have a maximum value of 6 and Professions and Weapon Specialties have a maximum value of 20. Players begin play with 12 skill points to spend, and may not start with any skill above level 3 except for Professions and Weapon Specialties, which may be up to level 10. It is not necessary to list skills your character does not have on their character sheet. Skills which have empty () parenthesis after them require the player to fill them in, and it is possible to have them listed repeatedly on a character sheet. For example, a character could have both Trade Knowledge (Programming) and Trade Knowledge (Carpentry) on their character sheet. Combat Skills Melee - Skill at melee combat. Adds dice to attack rolls. Ranged - Skill at ranged combat using a weapon that launches projectiles. Adds dice to attack rolls. Throwing - Skill at ranged combat using weapons thrown by hand. Includes throwing knives, javelins, bolas, grenades, etc. Adds dice to attack rolls. Dodging - Skill at evading enemy attacks. Adds dice to AGI defense rolls. Specialty (Unarmed) ''- Skill at using one's own body in combat. Includes fist weapons such as brass knuckles or stun gloves and any prosthetic weapon that functions like a limb. Adds a flat bonus to attack rolls. ''Specialty (Knives) ''- Skill at using knives in combat. Includes short, improvised blades such as shivs or pairs of scissors. Adds a flat bonus to attack rolls. ''Specialty (Swords) - Skill at using swords in combat. Adds a flat bonus to attack rolls. Specialty (Clubs) ''- Skill at using clubs in combat. Includes improvised bludgeoning weapons such as metal pipes or wooden planks. Adds a flat bonus to attack rolls. ''Specialty (Axes) - Skill at using axes in combat. Includes any short, hafted weapon with a weighted head, such as pickaxes or shovels. Adds a flat bonus to attack rolls. Specialty (Polearms) - Skill at using polearms in combat. Includes any long, hafted weapon, such as spears or staves. Also includes improvised polearms, such as broomsticks or pitchforks. Adds a flat bonus to attack rolls. Specialty (Handguns) - Skill at using handguns in combat. Adds a flat bonus to attack rolls. Specialty (Submachineguns) - Skill at using submachineguns in combat. Adds a flat bonus to attack rolls. Specialty (Shotguns) ''- Skill at using shotguns in combat. Adds a flat bonus to attack rolls. ''Specialty (Rifles) - Skill at using rifles in combat. Includes sniper rifles and light or general purpose machineguns. Adds a flat bonus to attack rolls. Specialty (Heavy Weapons) ''- Skill at using heavy weapons in combat. Includes anything that could not be considered a 'small arm,' such as grenade launchers, rocket launchers, flamethrowers, manned weapon emplacements and mortars or any other crew-served weapon. Does not apply to weapons fired using a vehicle's controls. Adds a flat bonus to attack rolls. General Skills ''Profession () - Catch-all skill representing competency at performing duties related to ones' occupation. Input your character's occupation in parenthesis. Adds a flat bonus to relevant rolls, but never to combat rolls. For example, a soldier would have a bonus to determining the type of weapon an enemy is using by the sound it makes, but not to shooting at them. Medicine - Skill at diagnosing and treating syndromes, illnesses and injuries. Used when performing first aid to heal a damaged body part. Can not be used on prosthetics. Adds bonus dice to all medical rolls except surgery. Surgery ''- Skill at performing cautious surgery. Used to install cybernetics and to treat Critical Wounds. Adds bonus dice to surgical rolls. ''Performance () - Skill at a certain type of art. Does not have to be a performance art - can also include things like writing, painting, etc. Most useful when used as a source of income. Adds bonus dice to relevant art-related rolls. Engineering ''- Skill at electrical and mechanical engineering. Used for a wide variety of tasks, including vehicle repairs and modifications, repairs to cybernetics, understanding of space ship subsystems, and more. Adds bonus dice to engineering rolls. ''Hacking ''- Skill at breaking into computer systems using technological, rather than socially engineered means. Adds bonus dice to hacking rolls. ''Piloting () - Skill at piloting a specific type of vehicle. Also includes skill at using vehicle-mounted weapons from within. Adds bonus dice to piloting rolls and attack or defense rolls made with a vehicle. Thievery - Skill at lockpicking, sleight of hand, pickpocketing and other, similar activities. Can only be used to pick physical 'locks, not electronic locks. Adds bonus dice to applicable rolls. ''Stealth ''- Skill at hiding and silent movement. Must be concealed or in cover to use. Adds bonus dice to stealth rolls. ''Investigation - Skill at sleuthing, tracking and research. Adds bonus dice to applicable rolls. Animal Handling () - Skill at handling, training, and caring for a specific type of animal. Adds bonus dice to applicable rolls. Athletic Skills Running - Skill at jogging and dashing. Adds bonus dice to rolls made to resist fatigue while sprinting and increases maximum stamina by 2 per skill point. Jumping ''- Skill at leaping high or far. Adds bonus dice to jump rolls. ''Climbing ''- Skill at scaling vertical surfaces. Adds bonus dice to climb rolls. ''Swimming - Skill at swimming above or below water. Adds bonus dice to rolls made to resist fatigue while swimming and increases oxygen capacity by 1 minute per skill point. Social Skills Persuasion - Ability to win others over to one's point of view. Adds bonus dice to persuasion rolls. Intimidation - Ability to frighten others into capitulation. Adds bonus dice to intimidation rolls. Subterfuge ''- Ability to lie, fool, and act. Adds bonus dice to subterfuge rolls. ''Insight ''- Ability to detect when others are lying, fooling, or acting. Adds bonus dice to insight rolls. Knowledge Skills ''Trade () ''- Understanding of a specific trade skill. This can be anything from metalworking to programming. Used for crafting. Adds bonus dice to applicable rolls. ''Trivia () - Understanding of a particular subject. This can be anything from history to geology. Used to gain information from the GM. Adds bonus dice to applicable rolls. '''Advantages A representation of a character’s unique positive traits. They include social, physical and mental abilities, as well as specific applications of skills, talents, and important knowledge. Advantages are usually less broadly applicable than Skills, applying narrower bonuses, but having a greater impact. Advantages may also unlock Abilities a character can use. Humans begin with 5 advantage points, mutants and cyborgs with 3, androids with 2, and robots with 1. Gifts Similar to advantages, but take three advantage points to obtain. Gifts are powerful boons that can dramatically influence the course of the game, and likely have a great influence on a character’s personal identity. Disadvantages A representation of a character’s vices, faults and restrictions. They include physical and mental handicaps and disabilities, chronic diseases or drug addiction and social restrictions. Characters receive an extra advantage point for each disadvantage they have, up to a maximum of two. More disadvantages can be taken if desired, but will not provide any benefit. NOTE: You cannot take opposing advantages / disadvantages, nor can you use cybernetics, mutations or psychic powers to negate the penalty from a disadvantage. You may attempt to “fix” your disadvantage after the game has started. Your advantages and disadvantages can dramatically influence your character’s appearance. For example, with improved strength, your character’s muscles will be much more pronounced and probably stand out. With improved running, your character’s legs will be more muscular. With improved swimming, your character will have a ‘swimmer’s body’. Your characters advantages are the things they do often and are very good at, so naturally those things will mold and shape their physique. Disadvantages also affect appearance. Poor constitution will make your character more pallid and sickly looking, obese or anorexic will dramatically affect your character’s appearance, etc. Build A representation of a character’s bone and muscle structure; impacts size and physical attributes. There are only three build types. Light, Medium, and Heavy. No ‘lithe’, ‘athletic’ or any of that. Just Light, Medium, and Heavy. A light build means thinner bones, slimmer muscles, a lighter and more slender body type over all. A light build lends itself to things like running, climbing, and feats involving agility because it’s easier to move the body. Light characters have an inherent +1 to their Agility attribute and a size of 4. A medium build means thicker bones, more pronounced muscles, a more conventionally ‘normal’ body type over all. A medium build takes the comfortable middle ground, able to accomplish many tasks. Medium characters have an inherent +1 to their Vigor attribute and a size of 5. A heavy build means much thicker bones, a much more pronounced musculature, and a larger person over all. A heavy build lends itself to feats of great strength and power. Heavy characters have an inherent +1 to their Physique and Vigor attributes, but suffer a -2 penalty to Agility. Heavy characters have a size of 6. A character's build influences their size, attributes and derived statistics, and may also determine how much of a benefit they receive from certain advantages. For example, a heavily built character will gain less from the Parkour advantage than a medium or light character, and a light character will gain less from the Improved Toughness advantage than a medium or heavy character. Damage is locational; every character has 6 "hit zones," each with its own hit points that do not scale. All humans have the same amount of hit points for each hit zone. The torso has 30 hit points, the legs have 24 hit points, the arms have 18 hit points, and the head has 12 hit points. These represent the structural integrity of a character's body. Earth 2308 is an extremely lethal game, both for the bad guys and for the protagonists. In most cases, the enemies players face are built similarly with the same character creation rules; no effort has been made to give players an inherent edge over NPCs. In order to survive combat, players are encouraged to fight smart, make friends, and know when to retreat. Escaping from a dangerous situation at the right moment can be the difference between life and death. During combat or other intense, high-stakes situations, the game enters Action Mode. In Action Mode, characters take turns moving, attacking, or using abilities or skills. The turn order is determined by rolling Cunning, with the highest roll moving first, the second highest moving second, and so on. During each character's turn, they have 3 Action Points or AP to spend. A character may use AP to perform a variety of actions, most commonly moving and attacking. Moving a character's Speed in feet costs 1 AP, most attacks cost 2 AP, and using most skills costs 3 AP. Additionally, during each full turn rotation, each character has one Opportunity Action which they can use during another characters' turn. Usually this means performing an''' '''opportunity attack against an enemy moving within or out of melee range.